Winterland In Terra Nova
by Sugarbubbleslove
Summary: Mark has a surprise for the Shannon Family - challenge fic


Title: Winter-Land in Terra Nova

Characters: Elisabeth, Jim, Josh, Maddy, Mark, Skye, Zoe (Maddy/Mark)

Rating: Teen

Disclaimers: I do not own anyone/anything from the forum Terra Nova. Fox owns Terra Nova and its characters. There is no copyright infringement intended. I do not make any profit/money or take any credit.

Summary: Mark has a surprise for the Shannon Family…

Timeline: Set within Season 1 - Christmas

A/N: Prompts for the TN_Ficchallenge. This is two prompts put together:

**Bellakitse** wrote: Mark spends a snow day with Maddy and Zoe, as he watches Maddy with her sister playing; he can't help but think of a future where they do the same with their own children. & **pirateveronica** wrote: the first time they experience snow (this is assuming that the global temperature in the future has risen so high that snow doesn't form)

Warning: Family, Fluff and Kisses…

Winter-Land in Terra Nova

Jim Shannon groaned, tossing in his bed as a knocking sound sounded through his house. His wife blearily blinked opened her eyes to see it was just past half-eight in the morning before she yawned, sitting up when there was another knock, this time accompanied by a voice.

"Are you all still sleeping?" they heard Mark Reynolds' incredulous voice ringing through the barrier of their doors and Jim muttered something under his breath as he sat up, running a hand through his hair.

"What the hell is he doing here at this time in the morning?" Jim asked, sliding out of his bed and grabbed his robes.

"Apparently trying to find out why we're still sleeping," Elisabeth remarked with an amused smile, following her husband as she did. Once they entered the main part of the house, she made her way over to kitchen counter to make the coffee.

"Yeah, 'cause we're never asleep," Jim remarked back to his wife, who laughed. "Knock it off!" he barked at the door as Mark knocked once more. "We're up and I'm coming over!"

"Wait!" Jim stopped in his tracks and glared at the door. "Only answer the door if you can keep your eyes close!" Jim arched an eyebrow, shooting an incredulous look at his wife as she choked on her coffee, giggling.

"Reynolds, either you tell me what is going on right now or I shoot you through the door," Jim barked back.

"Jim!" Elisabeth scolded, giving him an amused glare. He just gave her a shrug.

"It's a surprise!" Mark shot back. Jim glared at the door.

"What kind of surprise?" he asked warily.

"…A surprise," Mark told him and Jim rolled his eyes, walking over to the door and unlocking it. He gave Elisabeth a smirk; she rolled her eyes in return.

"Mark, the door is open. Come in," she told him and Mark hurried in, closing the door behind him as did and gave them a short nod. They noticed he was dressed in his winter clothes, gloves and scarf.

"Mr Shannon, Mrs Shannon, good morning," he greeted like he hadn't been shouting through the door. Jim just glared at him while Elisabeth smiled.

"Morning to you too, Mark. May we ask why you're so excited?" she asked.

"Is everyone else awake?" he asked. Jim scoffed as he filled his own cup up with coffee, needing the caffeine.

"You'd be lucky if a bomb could wake up Josh," Jim warned him. "Maddy and Zoe are probably still sleeping."

"Not anymore I'm not," Maddy informed them and they turned to see her standing in the doorway of her bedroom giving her boyfriend a curious look. "Why are you here at this time in the morning? I don't remember having a date."

"We don't have a date," he told her.

"Still doesn't answer my question," she retorted and he grinned, making her narrows her eyes in suspicion. The last time she saw that grin was before he slathered that stinkweed mud on her new clothes.

"Seriously, I was hoping for a lie in," Josh spoke up as he leaned against his door, rubbing his eyes then running a hand through his hair. "What's with all the loud voices?"

"Mark decided that half eight was an appropriate time to visit us," Jim spoke up, getting a glare from his daughter and a slap on the arm from his wife. Mark opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the youngest member coming out of the bedroom.

"What's going on?" Zoe mumbled as she rubbed her eyes before she saw Mark standing in the hall. "Mark!" a bright grin took over and he smiled back.

"I need you guys to get dressed in your winter clothes before you can see the surprise," he told them. Zoe nodded, hurrying into her bedroom to get dressed while Jim and Josh arched an eyebrow, not moving while Maddy just frowned, curious to what was going on with her boyfriend. "You know, you kinda need clothes on before I can show you the surprise," Mark told them but none of them moved, just waiting for him to tell them what was going on.

Mark just smirked, amused. Stubbornness was definitely a trait with this family. He just crossed his arms, staring back. He could wait; he had plenty of practice when it came to Maddy.

"Ready!" Zoe chirped as she came out of the bedroom, pulling on her gloves before she noticed her family wasn't ready. "Why are you not ready?"

"Because we want to know what he is up to first before we go anywhere," Josh informed his little sister who rolled her eyes.

"Mark just said it was a surprise therefore you're not going to find out until you get ready," she informed them, planting her hands on her hips and glaring at them. "So go and get ready!" she pointed off to the bedrooms.

Mark smothered his laughers at watching the adorable child bully each member of her family back into their bedroom to get ready before she turned to him, giving him a sweet smile. He just shook his head amused.

"You excited?" he knelt down as she wandered over to him and she nodded as Mark adjusted her scarf, making sure it was tight.

"It's a going to be a good surprise, right?" she asked and he grinned.

"It'll be a great surprise," he assured her, not noticing Maddy standing in the doorway with a soft smile on her lips. She was now dressed in a pair of jeans with her boots laced up. Her jacket was snug and she was in the process of pulling her gloves on.

"Does it include dinosaurs?" Zoe asked and Mark laughed, shaking his head, tweaking Zoe's nose.

"Sorry, not this time," he told her but she just shrugged, her excitement not going down one bit.

Maddy watched them interact together, her head resting on the doorjamb. She loved seeing Mark interact with her sister, he was really good with her and Zoe just adored him. It made her wonder what he would be like with his own children.

Feeling eyes on him, Mark looked up to meet Maddy's giving her a smile. Her smile grew wider as she pushed herself off the door, moving closer to them. Mark stood up, he parted his lips but was interrupted when there was a grumble and they turned to see Josh making his way out of his room.

Elisabeth and Jim followed suit, Jim looking grumpy that he was expected to leave his house early in the morning on a day he wasn't expected to come into work and he made it clear by glaring at the young man who was responsible. His irritation just heightened when saw Mark grin at him, not at all fazed.

"Right, now we're already, can we see the surprise?" Jim asked and Mark shook his head.

"I need everyone to close their eyes and I'll walk each one of you out," he told them. Zoe immediately closed her eyes; Maddy eyed her boyfriend for a moment longer before deciding to indulge him and closed her eyes. Elisabeth followed suit while Josh and Jim shared a look before Josh sighed and also closed his eyes. Jim just arched an eyebrow and Mark sighed.

"Daddy," Zoe warned, not once opening her eyes. Jim rolled his eyes and closed them, leaving Mark smirking in amusement.

"Alright, keep your eyes close, I don't want to see anyone peeking," Mark warned them.

"Reynolds," Jim threatened.

"Oh come on, you act like you've never gotten a surprise before," Mark muttered as he gently grasped Elisabeth and Jim's hands, slowly leading them outside before he ran back in and led Josh and Maddy out. He collected Zoe by lifting her up, causing her to squeal but she kept her eyes close tightly, wrinkling her nose when she felt something wet and cold land on her nose.

Mark placed her onto the ground next to Maddy and stood in front of them, making sure that each one had their eyes closed. Once he was satisfied, he nodded.

"Okay, open them," Mark told them and they opened their eyes only to gaped at the sight before them.

Instead of the colourful buildings and flowers they were so accustomed to seeing, everything was covered in pure white snow.

"Snow!" cried Maddy, her eyes widening as she spun in a circle to look at her surroundings. Zoe followed her.

"Welcome to a Christmas Terra Nova," Mark told them with a big grin.

"Oh my god," Elisabeth gasped as she stepped forward, taking in the sight.

"This is why you wanted me to close my eyes if I answered the door?" Jim asked, turning to Mark, who nodded.

"I knew you guys haven't seen snow before and I didn't want to spoil the surprise," he told him before he shrugged with a sheepish grin. "We weren't even expecting snow today which is why I came over early."

"It's so white," Zoe breathed as she stepped forward, giggling when she saw her breath mist in the cold air. "And so cold." She wrinkled her nose as another snow stopped on the tip of it. She brushed it off, giggling.

"Merry Christmas," Mark told them, getting bright grins from Jim, Elisabeth and Josh while Zoe flung herself at Mark's legs.

"Best surprise ever!" she told him with a bright smile. Mark chuckled as Maddy came forward, holding her hand out and Zoe grabbed it, both of them running through the streets, laughing as they slipped and skidded in the snow.

Soon their laughers attracted enough attention as the people, still in their homes, came out to see what the noise was about only for the children, who had lived in Terra Nova for a while, to cheer with excitement as they hurried back into their houses to pull on their winter clothes.

The newest members started in wonderment at the sight before them before the older members would encourage them to go into the house to put on warmer clothes and join them.

Mark watched as Maddy turned to face Zoe and swung her up into her arms then spun around them around, both girls laughing with their heads tilted back; enjoying the weather they had only heard of.

He couldn't stop the smile from curving his lips as the image before him changed with Maddy playing their own children in the future. He knows it's too early to be thinking like this but he couldn't help it. The moment he met Maddy, he had the feeling that he was looking at his future.

Maddy and Zoe stopped spinning when they heard a yell and all three of them turned to see Josh was shaking the snow off his back, his head turned to see the laughing brunette as she threw another snow ball up into the air.

"You can't come out into the snow without a snowball fight!" Skye shouted, laugher filling her tone as she threw another, catching Josh on the shoulder.

"I wanna throw one!" Zoe ran over to Skye, hastily balling up some snow as she copied Skye and threw it, her aim slightly off and hitting one of the supports. She giggled, not deterred as she tried again.

This time she caught Josh on the leg, eliciting another yell of shock before determination crossed his face.

"Team-tag me, will you?" he gathered some snow, copying what he saw and threw it. Skye and Zoe shrieked with laugher as they dodged the snowball. "Hey! That's not fair!"

"You gotta dodge!" Skye shouted; ducking as Josh threw another one, both of them laughing while Zoe showed her parents how to make snowballs.

Mark turned away when he felt a warm hand through the material of his jacket to see his girlfriend standing next to him, grinning brightly.

"What do you think?" Mark asked, his arms sliding around his girlfriend's waist as she slipped her hands over his shoulder. Her cheeks were flushed, the tip of her nose red and her brown eyes lit up with excitement and happiness.

"Pretty amazing," she told him against his lips. Mark just smiled as he kissed her back before they broke away to see Zoe laughing as she threw a snowball which hit her father square on the back, getting a yell from the older man.

He may not have had a family in a while but he had a feeling that he had found a new one in the shape of the Shannon family without even looking.

The End

Merry Christmas!


End file.
